


Apt Pupil

by Missy



Category: Matilda - Roald Dahl
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Introspection, Magical Realism, Mentioned Abuse, Revenge, Revenge Through Others, Telekinesis, Training, Trick or Treat: Trick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 17:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16202522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: Jennifer Honey has been watching her young student's progress for awhile now.





	Apt Pupil

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Deepdarkwaters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deepdarkwaters/gifts).



The girl is quiet.

Jennifer has been watching her with curiosity for days. She’s far ahead of the material, far ahead of anything that Jennifer’s prepared, so trying to create new games for her was almost intriguing. It isn’t surprising to her that she’s not receiving proper attention or intellectual stimulation at home. Girls of Matilda’s character and intelligence were rarely treated with the proper care and attention they required.

 

She knows from personal experience how true this is.

Jennifer hasn’t forgotten the feeling of the cold wooden floor under her knees, nor the cruelty of Aunt Agatha’s taunting, and the impact of her fists. She’ll likely never forget the abuse she’s suffered, and her quiet plans for revenge have been the only lifeline she’s maintained during these long months working under Aunt Agatha’s authority.

Jennifer looks again at Matilda’s flawless test and wonders if she’s found the girl. The only one clever enough to bend the boundaries of time.

Then Matilda looks up, and Jenny's startled by a motion out of the corner of her eye. Can it be? Yes. The pencil is moving without any direction from Matilda’s hand.

It’s a stunning fact. Jenny has heard of cases like this one; there was a girl in Chamberlain, Maine who could…well, that is nasty business that doesn’t need to be thought of. 

Matilda will be different. Jenny will unlock the full measure of Matilda’s psychic powers, and then they'll all be sorry. Jenny will see if she’s the sort of girl who can right the wrongs that have been dealt against the both of them. If she can blast Aunt Agatha straight through a wall and make it look like a chemistry accident.

She leans across the desk, her chin propped up in the curved palm of her hand. “Do you enjoy games, Matilda?”

The girls’ eyes brighten. “Oh yes. I love games. And I desperately love to read.”

Jennifer smiles. “I’ll find something special for you to enjoy,” she says.

There are several dusty books in the library. None on honing telekinesis. 

But where there’s a will, there’s a way.


End file.
